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A Perfect Day to Bake
 Good Evening! It was the perfect day to bake today. We had another foggy and rainy day today and it lent itself well to a day of baking and quiet solitude. I really find that baking is such a soothing a peaceful process. I love all the steps involved from measuring to sifting to cooling to glazing. Let's just say it has been a really enjoyable day. I started off the morning in a bit of scramble because my alarm did not go off for some reason and I woke up about 10 minutes later than usual. I was still able to drink a glass of water lemon and take my Amazing Grass Green SuperFood capsules as well as make another bowl of :  Almond Date Chia Oats 1/2 cup of rolled oats 1/2 cup of Silk Heart Health Vanilla Soymilk 1/2 cup of water 1 tbsp chia seed Combine above ingredients and cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and top with: 3 dates, chopped 1 tbsp sliced almonds Drizzle of Mediterranean Honey Yum! I ended up doing another run/squat/lunge workout in the garage again today due to the rain. I taught Baby Boot Camp and then headed home to bake. We have our monthly Teacher Appreciation luncheon this week and I decided to make these amazing cookies I saw in John Besh's new cookbook My New Orleans. They are St. Joseph's Fig Cookies and they are FREAKING amazing. My husband is going ga-ga over them because they remind him of the Fig Cookies that you get at Angelo Brocato's in New Orleans. I did not have any sprinkles but did glaze mine. I also did not use the sherry and substituted it with POM juice as well as used a little whole wheat pasty flour for some of the all purpose. They turned out great despite the changes and I would HIGHLY recommend making these if you are a Fig Newton fan. Wow! I ate two of these and am trying to resist eating any more.... at least for today.  St. Joseph's Fig Cookies from My New Orleans Cookbook by John Besh For the Filling 3 tbsp sherry-- I used 3 tbsp of POM Juice 2 tsp fresh orange juice 1 cup dried figs, stems removed 1/4 cup raisins 1/4 cup shelled walnuts, chopped 1/4 cup honey 1 dash ground cinnamon 1 tsp freshly grated lemon zest For the Dough 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour -- 1 used 3/4 cup all purpose and 1/2 cup of Whole Wheat Pastry Flour 1/4 cup granulated sugar 3/4 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt 4 tbsps cold butter, diced 1 egg, beaten 3 tbsp milk For the Icing 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted 3 tbsp milk 1/4 tsp vanilla extract Colored Spinkles For the filling, bring the sherry and orange juice just to a boil in a saucepan. Meanwhile, put the figs, raisins, walnuts, honey, cinnamon and lemon zest into the work bowl of the food processor and pulse until the nuts are very finely chopped. Pour the sherry/juice mixture through the feed tube of the food processor and continue processing the fig mixture to a finally chopped paste. Cover and set aside. For the dough, sift together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt into large mixing bowl. Using pastry cutter or two knives, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles cornmeal. Stir in eggs and milk , mixing until the dough is well combined. Divide the dough, use a rolling pin to roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface into 2 long strips 1/8 inch thick and about 4 inches wide. Cut the strips in half lengthwise. Spoon a quarter of the filling down the middle of each strip of dough. Using a pastry brush, moisten the dough with water on either side of the filling. Roll the dough over the filling, completely enclosing the filling, the gently press on the seam to seal the dough. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the pastry logs seam side down and slice them on the bias into cookies about an inch long. Place the cookies at least 1/2 inch apart on nonstick cookie sheets and bake until a pale golden brown. 15-20 minutes. Set the cookies on a rack to cool. For the icing, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla in a wide bowl. Dip the top of each cookie into the icing, the scatter sprinkles over the tops. Next on the agenda was Apricot Pistachio Biscotti. I also love making Biscotti because they are low in fat and calories and they are crunchy and delicious.  Apricot Pistachio Biscotti Ingredients 1 cup sifted all-purpose flour 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 tsp ground ginger DirectionsPreheat the oven to 350°. Lightly coat a cookie sheet with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, whisk 2 cups of the flour with the baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, toss the pistachios and apricots with 2 tablespoons of the flour mixture. In a large a bowl, beat the sugar and butter until combined. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, then mix in the vanilla and almond extracts. Blend in the flour mixture on low speed. Stir in the pistachios and dried fruits just until incorporated. Gather the dough into a ball; if it's sticky, work in a little more flour. Divide the dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, shape each piece into a 13-inch log. Set the logs 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet and gently flatten the logs until they are 3/4 inch thick. Bake the logs for about 20 minutes, or until they are golden on top and a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean. Let the logs cool for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 300°. Using a serrated knife, slice the warm logs diagonally into 1/2 -inch-thick slices. Arrange the slices on their sides on the cookie sheet; if necessary, use a second cookie sheet. Bake the biscotti for about 20 minutes, or until crisp and golden. Transfer the biscotti to a rack to cool.In between baking and tasting, I snuck in a little light lunch of greek yogurt, fresh berries and chopped almonds. I tried to go light at lunch because I knew I would be indulging in a cookie or two..... just to make sure they weren't poisonous. Famous last words.1/2 cup shelled unsalted pistachios or pecans, very coarsely chopped (about 2 1/2 ounces) 1/2 cup coarsely chopped dried apricots 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 2 large eggs, at room temperature 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract  Dinner tonight was a classic Veggie Burger on a Rye Sandwich Thin with a side of Balsamic Broccoli Slaw. I love veggie burgers and noticed that I have not had one in a while. They are so satisfying and really fill you up without a whole lot of calories, which is good on days that you are baking and tasting.  Veggie Burger on Rye Sandwich Thin and Balsamic Broccoli Slaw 1 Oroweat Seedless Rye Sandwich Thin- 100 Calories 1 Original Boca Burger- 70 calories 1 Veggie Slice Cheddar Cheese- 45 calories 215 calories 1 cup of Mann's Sunny Shores Broccoli Slaw 1 tbsp dijon mustard 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar (have not figured out the calories yet but I am guessing 125 calories) I am actually tired from all the baking and need to get the kids ready for bed. I hope you all had a wonderful Tuesday. P.S. The countdown has started we have 3 more days until we get Steve's LSAT results. Please send all good vibes and prayers that he did well. I am hoping that we will be celebrating on Friday not commiserating.  related searches : Perfect
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